


Beauty and the Beast

by firestar2024



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Beast!Kara, Beauty and the Beast AU, Beauty!Lena, F/F, Kara is the Beast, Lena is the Beauty, also has some Phantom of the Opera elements, it gets cute i promise!, it's slightly different, like the mask
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-24
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-19 17:34:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9452450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firestar2024/pseuds/firestar2024
Summary: Lena is a young, beautiful woman who has been taken prisoner by the Beast (Kara Zor-El). Despite her original fear of the Beast, she learns of the Beast's past through her enchanted castle staff, and grows to love her for the wonderful person that Kara has trapped inside of her cold exterior.Beauty and the Beast AU, where Lena is the Beauty and Kara is the Beast - inspired by Red Kryptonite Kara





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all!  
> This is just another idea that I came across, and I figured maybe it would be cute. I'll be updating this much less frequently than my other fic, but this one will be much more heavily edited for quality.

_Once upon a time, there was a faraway village by the name of Krypton. A peaceful place of honesty and caring, the villagers were all content. One day, the village was sacked by a group of bandits and burned to the ground. There were no survivors except for a young girl. The young girl had nothing but kindness and warmth in her heart. But that night, as she sat on the remains of her burned bed, she heard a knock on the charred door._

_The young girl was surprised to find an old beggar woman. The woman offered her a beautiful rose in return for shelter. Although not much remained of her home, she pulled what hay she could find in order to provide a bed and wrung the last scrawny chicken that roamed around the village, despite the woman’s hideous appearance. After dinner, the beggar woman showed herself to be a gorgeous enchantress and gave the young girl powers beyond her imagination and built a castle in place of the burned village as a reward for her hospitality._

_But the young girl found no reward in such powers. Stones crumbled to dust in her hands as she tried to play with them. Wood snapped when she tried to build anything. Any animals she came across ran away, for her heat vision showed no mercy. And most of all, her powers could not give her back her family. Despite the kindness of the enchanted staff around her, bitterness set in her heart and the young girl isolated herself, never leaving the castle, for she did not wish to harm anything more than she had already._

_One day, the enchantress returned to the castle. The young girl begged and begged for her powers to be taken away. She swore at the enchantress, telling her that she had been cursed, not blessed, and that she regretted ever helping her. The enchantress saw how bitter and ungrateful the girl had become and grew furious. As punishment for her cold heart, she cast a spell upon her, which also melted off and disfigured half of her face. The rose she had offered before was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until the girl’s twenty-first birthday. If the girl could learn to love and someone to return that love by the time the last petal fell, the girl’s powers would fade away and she would become human again. If she failed, she would remain a monster for all time. Isolated, she was given only a magical mirror as a window to the world._

_As days turned to years, the young girl matured into a hopeless woman. Despair and loneliness replaced what kindness and gentleness she’d had as a child, for who could love someone so dangerous as her?_

 

* * *

 

In a small provincial town lived a beautiful young woman named Lena. Her luscious dark hair, her fair skin, and her warm green eyes redefined beauty itself. The town’s “belle”, she was adored by the town’s men and envied by all the women. But she never noticed, for her nose was always stuck in a book. Often times she wondered what other life she could have in this small town, but she found herself lost in the world of fairy tales and magic that she found in the library. Lena was absolutely enchanted by the stories of Cinderella and Prince Charming, dreaming of the moment when she would meet the love of her life.

Of course, there was Mon-El. He spent his days hunting ducks and staring at himself in the mirror. Ever since he had seen beautiful Lena walking around town, he saw himself as the one one beautiful enough to marry her. The other women of the town fawned over him, nearly passing out when he walked by. But no matter how many pretty women chased after him, he was too busy trying to woo Lena, who wanted something more than a common provincial life.

Mon-El finally caught up to Lena in the streets. He grabbed her book out of her hands and began to flip through it.

“How do you read this? There’s no pictures in it!” he exclaimed.

“Some people use their imagination,” stated Lena.

“Lena, it’s about time you got your head out of the books and paid attention to more important things — like me.” Mon-El raised his chin and posed, flexing all the muscles he could. Unfortunately for him, Lena was more concerned about the book that he’d thrown into the mud, fishing it out with a grimace. She shook the mud from the pages and wiped her hands on her dress.

“Women shouldn’t be reading,” he chuckled. “They get ideas, and start thinking…”

“You’re so primeval,” she responded, opening her book again.

“Thank you.”

“Do you even know what ‘primeval’ means?”

“It’s a long word, meaning that it must be something powerful, like me. Say, what if you and me go for a walk and take a look at all my hunting trophies?” he offered, plucking the book out of her hands again.

“Maybe some other time,” she replied, annoyed that her reading time was being interrupted by a pea-brained imbecile. When she saw that he was tugging on her arm, she yanked it away and took the book back. “Please, Mon-El, I can’t. I have to get home to help my father.”

“Heh, of course. Your father needs _all_ the help he can get,” snickered Mon-El’s assistant.

“Don’t you talk about my father that way. He’s a genius!” remarked Lena, glaring at both of them. At this point, she was ready to slap a bitch.

As she got closer to her house, she heard a loud explosion and saw a thick plume of smoke erupt from the basement.

“Papa?” she called out, opening the doors to let the smoke out.

Walking in, she noticed Lionel stuck in a barrel, wriggling to get free. He hastily tried to get out, fanning away all the smoke.

“Oh, I’ll never get this thing to work!” he exclaimed. “I’m just a failure!”

“Papa, that’s not true! You’re brilliant! And tomorrow, you’re going to win first place at the fair. You’ll become a world-renowned inventor!” she said.

“Do you really believe that?” Lionel asked, his eyes full of hope and wonder.

“I always have,” she chuckled. “Now come on, let’s fix this.”

Lena and Lionel danced around the giant machine, tightening bolts and screws and tinkering with a few springs here and there, making sure that the gears were well oiled. When all seemed ready, Lionel pushed the button.

“Here she goes!” he giggled nervously.

“What does it do?” asked Lena.

“Well, it’s _supposed_ to sew together furs in order to create coats,” he said, scratching his head as he watched his machine sputter and toot.

The remarkable invention chugged and shook, its gears smoothly turning and the needles beginning to move about. It grabbed the pelt that Lionel provided and began to twist it about and thread string through it, maneuvering the coat-in-progress with finesse that Lena had never seen in any human before. Lionel began to feed the machine more pelts in order to let it finish its job. Lena watched in awe as the machine pieced together the different parts into a true coat. Once the machine slowed to rest, Lionel grabbed the product.

“Papa...that’s wonderful!” Lena remarked. “Oh, I knew you could do it!”

“It’s all thanks to you,” grinned Lionel. “My wonderful daughter.”

“Oh, psh, Papa,” said Lena, patting her father’s arm.

“Well, I must set off for the journey, now,” he said, picking up his bag and loading the large contraption onto a large cart. “You have fed our wonderful horse, Philemon, no?”

“Of course. I even gave him a few extra bits of oat for this journey.”

“Ah, my daughter is so intelligent,” said Lionel, turning to face his daughter. He stepped towards her for a hug. “Oh, I’ll miss you.”

“And I’ll miss you too. Good luck, Papa!” she said, waving as his figure began to disappear into the woods.

 

* * *

 

The sky had already begun to turn dark before Lionel was halfway through the forest. Dark clouds gathered above the trees, lightning flashing and thunder crashing every few minutes. Lionel had almost fallen into a few puddles. He held tightly to the rope to guide his horse. Philemon neighed loudly, threatening to break loose.

“Woah there, boy,” said Lionel, petting Philemon’s muzzle. The horse nuzzled him back, whiffing a few breaths through his nostrils. “It’s going to be okay.”

They continued through the forest, this time with a lantern in front of their forest. Rain was pattering all around them, making their path even more obscure. Lightning cracked in front of them, making both Lionel and his horse jump in fright. Just when things couldn’t get worse, howls rang through the darkness.

“Let’s go!” yelped Lionel, pulling his horse along.

But Philemon would not obey. Spooked, Philemon began to dash as quickly as he could, the clicking of his hooves ringing in Lionel’s ears.

“Come on, boy, calm down!”

Suddenly, they came upon the edge of a cliff. Lionel pulled on the reins to guide Philemon away, whose hooves were beginning to slip. Philemon neighed loudly as he backed up, rocks from the edge of the cliff falling endlessly. Just when Lionel was in control and about to guide Philemon in the correct direction, howls began to come from all around them. Philemon bucked Lionel off and ran back the way they had come, a few wolves chasing after him. Lionel was stranded with nothing - no lantern, no supplies, no horse.

He didn’t think that things would get worse until he saw three pairs of yellow eyes staring at him from the dark. Growling at him, they began to chase him as he ran across fallen trees and tumbled down hills. They were beginning to gain on him when he spotted a huge gate that would offer him protection.

“Help! Is anyone there? Help me!” he screamed, rapping on the gate.

The gate lurched forward, letting Lionel through. He quickly slipped through before shutting the gate. Taking a deep breath, he crawled away from the wolves and dashed for shelter - a menacing, huge castle. Whether it was the lighting or just how isolated it was, Lionel got chills staring at it.

“Beggars can’t be choosers,” he said, running up to the doors.

He knocked on the huge double doors, surprised when they just opened.

“Hello?” he called out. His voice echoed through the great empty space that lay before him. Looking around, he spotted a candelabra and grabbed it, for his lantern had broken when Philemon bucked him off.

“Hello!” chuckled the candelabra. “Do you need a place to stay?”

“Who’s there?” called Lionel, waving around the light.

“Right here!” The candelabra patted his head.

Shocked, Lionel threw the candlestick down on the floor. A little clock began to walk towards it.

“Now look what you’ve done, you idiot!” muttered the clock, smacking the candlestick.

Lionel, enchanted by the walking and talking clock, picked it up and began to examine it.

“What is this? This is absolute genius!” he said, playing around with the hands of the clock, winding it up.

“Do you mind?” it glared, slapping Lionel’s hand away.

“Oh, sir, you do seem uncomfortable,” said the candlestick. “Perhaps you would feel better if you warmed up by the fireplace.”

“Why, thank you,” Lionel said, accepting the offer.

Despite the clock’s protests, Lionel followed the candelabra towards a room with a huge, comfy, chair and a fireplace. A footrest ran up to him and barked, sitting under his feet. The coat stand danced over to him and placed a blanket over him as a cart with a teapot and a chipped cup zoomed towards him.

“Would you like some tea, sir?” offered the teapot. “Perhaps you’ll warm up better if you drink some.”

“Why, aren’t you all very hospitable!” Lionel said as the teapot poured some tea into the chipped cup.

“Mama, this feels funny!” the cup giggled.

Suddenly, the door to the living room opened with a gust of wind. The fire went out, and all the living furniture began to shiver and hide.

“What is the meaning of this?” boomed an angry voice, a huge shadow casting over the entire room.

“Ma’am, I-i can explain all of this,” started the candlestick. “This man was lost in the woods, and it was raining out, so I offered to let him stay for a little while-”

“Silence!” the figure yelled.

“I was against this from the very beginning!” the clock muttered. “It was all his fault!”

“Be quiet!”

The caped, masked creature flew towards the frightened Lionel. “What are you doing here?”

“I-i was l-l-lost in the w-w-woods, sir- I mean, ma’am! I didn’t know where to go!” he stammered.

“You are not welcome here!” she growled.

“I-i’m sorry.”

“What are you staring at?” She turned her head to show the side of the face without the mask, glaring at him through one, cold, blue eye as she floated in the air.

“N-nothing!”

“You’ve come to see...the Beast, then!”

“Please! I meant no harm!” he yelped, running away. The Beast followed suit. “I was just looking for a place to stay!”

“Oh, I’ll give you a place to stay!” she said, gripping his collar. She lifted him with ease and flew towards the dungeon, red glowing in her eyes.

“Please! No! No!” begged Lionel.

But it was no use. The Beast was merciless and cold, and nothing had ever pierced her exterior for more than ten years.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! Hope you enjoy!

Mon-El peeked through the shrubs separating Lena’s house from the garden, where he’d planned out a wedding ceremony. His little sidekick, Nimrod, was speaking to the band and rehearsing the wedding march theme at a hurried tempo.

“Everything better be perfect,” Mon-El warned him. “Now I just have to propose. But I _know_ she won’t refuse me.”

“Every other woman in this town would love to be in her shoes,” said Nimrod.

“Who wouldn’t want to marry me? A lunatic, perhaps.”

He strode up to the door and knocked rapidly, tapping his foot impatiently. Pulling out his pocket mirror, he ran his fingers through his hair, much like the way spoiled millennial boys would in the future. As he was clearing his throat, the door opened and there stood Lena.

“Hello, Mon-El,” Lena greeted, trying not to roll her eyes.

“Why, hello, my lady,” he said in his most charming voice. He walked inside of the house, making Lena walk backwards.

“What a surprise.”

“I’m just full of surprises. That’s just the kind of-” He paused to look at the mirror in the living room. “- _wonderful_ man I am.”

“Yes, of course, _how_ could I _possibly_  forget? You remind me _every single day._ ”

“I’m here to make _your_ dreams come true.”

“What do you know about my dreams?”

“Everything,” he said, gallantly walking up to the chair where Lena had been reading. He propped up his muddy shoes on the table, getting mud all over that same book he’d been trying to snatch out of her hands. “Imagine this. You and I, living in a nice little house while I skin my latest kill by the fire as you massage my feet. Wonderful young lads - like _me_ \- running all about the house with each of their dogs.”

“What exactly are you asking me?” Lena narrowed her eyes.

“For a girl who reads so much, you are quite stupid. I’m asking you to marry me.”

“Well, Mon-El,” she began, backing towards the front door as Mon-El walked closer and closer towards her, barely leaving space for her to breathe. She could smell the arrogance and animal blood off of him. “I’m flattered.”

“Then say you’ll marry me! Two little words!”

“I’m sorry, Mon-El…” she said, reaching for the doorknob as he tried to kiss her. “But you deserve better! Like, someone who actually loves you!”

Mon-El fell forwards, out of the house and down the stairs. He heard the door shut behind him as he dove into mud. He could hear the stupid wedding march playing as he tried to climb out of the mud, glad that it was all over his face so that no one could see just how red he was.

“So…” said Nimrod. “How did it go?”

“I’ll have her for my wife! I don’t care what it takes! I deserve the most beautiful woman in the world, and no one but I shall have her!” Mon-El yelled, grabbing Nimrod by the throat.

They stormed away, closing the wedding ceremony. Lena peeked out of the door, making sure that he was gone.

“Ugh,” she groaned, picking up the feed for the animals. “I can’t believe that imbecile asked me to marry him! That brainless meathead, that boring, sexist bastard!”

Lena threw feed on the ground for chickens and poured some into the troughs. She walked outside into the open field, which provided a wonderful view of the forest and the glimmering river in the valley below. Sighing, she sat down and began to think about what she wanted in life. She didn’t want some boring old life in some boring old town. She wanted intelligent conversation, not to be some housemaid. She wanted dances and books and people who admired her, not worshipped her.

Suddenly, a loud neighing and a clattering rushed towards her. Startled, she looked to see a very spooked Philemon and a somewhat intact sewing machine.

“Philemon? Where’s Papa?” she asked, worry growing inside of her.

He neighed loudly. Lena untied the sewing machine from the horse and climbed onto his back.

“Take me to him,” she commanded as Philemon galloped through the forest.

 

* * *

 

When Philemon brought her to the front gates of some huge, menacing castle, there were only two things running through Lena’s mind. First off, what the heck was a castle doing here? How had nobody noticed this menacing, chilling building in the middle of nowhere? Second of all, how the heck was she going to find her father in this big ass castle?

She got off of Philemon and walked the rest of the pathway towards the castle. It wouldn’t be so awful if there was some better lighting. Opening the doors, she called out for her father, only to find an eerie silence in response.

Meanwhile, Winn the candelabra and Alex the clock were bickering in the lounge.

“So you, you _idiot_ , you thought that you could just let some stranger in here, despite how you _know_ Kar- I mean, _master_ feels about that. You let him sit on _her_ chair, in _her_ living room, in front of _her_ fire. Has ‘living’ as a candlestick not taught you anything?” scolded Alex.

“Hey! I was just trying to be hospitable! Being nice to people never hurts!” scoffed Winn. “Besides, it gets lonely in here, you know?”

“At least you have your broom mistress,” grumbled Alex.

“Her name is Siobhan!”

“Whatever, man.”

Lena’s figure passed over the doorway.

“Papa?” she called out, tiptoeing down the hall.

“Did you see that?” asked Winn. He jumped off of the table and over to the doorway, watching as Lena walked by. “It’s a girl!”

“I know it’s a girl,” muttered Alex. “I was one, too, remember?”

“No, I mean, maybe _she_ ’s the one that’s going to set us all free!”

Winn began to run, staying behind the girl at all times. Alex, not wanting to see Winn get into more trouble, followed him. He pushed open the doorway to the staircase, hiding behind the door but making sure he made enough noise to attract the girl’s attention.

“Hello?” Lena asked, sneaking towards the staircase. “I’m looking for my father! Please, oh, please help me find him.”

She began to climb the staircase, still wary of the darkness that surrounded the castle. At the top of the staircase, she spotted her father’s arm sticking out of the bars of a wooden door.

“Papa!” Lena called out, rushing towards him. Kneeling on the floor, she came face to face with her father at last. The journey was over. She had rescued him! Grasping his hands, she looked into her father’s eyes. “Oh, your hands are like ice.”

Lionel coughed. “Oh, Lena. You never should’ve come.”

“Who’s done this to you!?” she exclaimed.

“Get out of here! No time to explain! It’s not safe!”

“I can’t just leave you here!” protested Lena.

“What are you doing here!?” boomed a voice, chilling Lena to the bone. Something grabbed Lena’s shoulder and knocked her away from her father.

“Who are you?” asked Lena, staring at the icy blue eyes in the dark.

“I’m the master of this castle,” growled the voice, narrowing its eyes.

“I’ve come for my father! You have to let him out,” she begged. “Please, he’s sick! Have you no mercy? No compassion?”

“The world showed no compassion to me! He shouldn’t have trespassed here!”

“Please, I’ll do anything. I can’t let him die here!”

“There’s _nothing_ you can do. He’s my prisoner,” muttered the dark voice, the figure’s cape whooshing as it walked away.

“Wait!” shouted Lena, causing the figure to stop. “Take me instead.”

“What was that?” asked the figure.  
“Take me, instead of my father.”

“You...you would take his place?” The figure seemed shocked.

“No! No! You can’t do that!” protested Lionel.

“If I did,” said Lena. “Would you let him go?”

“Yes,” responded the figure, without hesitation. “But you must promise to stay here forever.”

Lena thought about it. But then she realized that she hadn’t even seen this figure at all. All along, it had been avoiding being seen. The only thing she’d been able to notice were the two blue eyes, staring back at her with no emotion.

“Come into the light,” she requested.

The figure began to slink into the light, standing up straighter as it did so. On the figure’s face was a white mask, covering half of its face. It seemed to be a young woman, who had her hair tied up in a tight bun atop her head. Her chin was raised as she looked down at Lena.

“Take off your mask.”

“No!” the woman screamed. She slunk back into the shadows.

“Then I shan’t stay here forever!”

“Then your father shall never leave!” threatened the woman.

Lena glared at the woman, anger bubbling inside of her. Curiosity had always been her weakest trait, but it was also the one that fueled her the most. She didn’t simply want to know what was under that mask. To her, it was begging to be taken off.

She lunged at the woman’s face, knocking off the mask and surprising the woman.

“Damn you!” shrieked the woman, holding her face. “Curse you!”

Lena looked at the woman up close. The woman nervously brought her hands down from her face as she tried to retrieve the mask.

It was true that the woman was intensely disfigured. Half of her face was human-like, but the other was that of a zombie. The eyelid had been seared off, grayed flesh lining her brow and cheek, in a way that made the woman’s eyeball stare at anything she looked at. Lena swore that she could see bits of her skull and a gaping hole in her cheek.

Lena couldn’t help but gasp. The woman frantically grasped for the mask, but she ended up crushing it into powder instead.

“Stranger than you dreamt it,” growled the woman. “Isn’t it! More hideous than your darkest nightmares! Can you even bear to look upon me?”

“No, Lena! I can’t let you do this!” shrieked Lionel.

“You have my word,” surrendered Lena, walking up to the woman, who was still seething. “I will stay here forever with you.”

“Fine,” agreed the woman, her voice threatening to slice Lena’s eardrums with the edge it carried. She strode over to the door and let Lionel out as Lena sunk to her knees and covered her face.

“Lena...I’m old! I’ve lived my life!” sobbed Lionel. “But you! You still have a grand life ahead of you!”

The beastly figure carried Lionel with one hand, and tread down the stairs. She tossed Lionel into the magical carriage and ordered it to take him back. Lena watched the carriage leave the castle from her tower window, tears streaming from her eyes.

 

On her way back up to the tower, Kara ran into Winn, who was perched in a groove of the staircase.

“Ah, K- _Master_ ,” began Winn. “Since she is going to...be here for quite some time, perhaps you could offer her a more comfortable room.”

Kara glared at Winn, her eyes turning red as she threatened to use her heat vision. Winn scooted closer to the corner of the groove, trying to protect himself. She hurried up the stairs and crashed into the tower room. The poor girl was sitting by the window, still sobbing.

“You didn’t even let me say goodbye!” Lena shouted. “I’m never going to see him again!”

Kara loosened her bun, running her fingers through her hair nervously. She felt a sort of...guilt as she watched the girl sob. She’d never had anyone actually come to her castle before, much less one to offer themselves up for another as a prisoner. Human interaction was unfamiliar to her, and frankly, she disliked how she was feeling right now. Perhaps in the past she may have loved attention, but now she feared it.

“I’ll show you to your room,” she murmured, not wanting to hear the girl’s crying anymore.

“My room?”

“What? Do you want to stay in the tower?” she asked, motioning towards the rotting hay and the cold stone floors.

“No?” said Lena, getting up to follow this stranger.

 

* * *

 

Kara led the way, holding the enchanted candelabra to light up the hall. Behind her followed a girl with fear and tears in her eyes. She quickly turned around, looking down as she continued walking towards the new chamber.

“Talk to her,” advised Winn.

“I...hope you like it here,” muttered Kara, looking over her shoulder. She turned back to the candlestick, who motioned for her to go on. “The castle will be your home now, so you are permitted to go anywhere, except the west wing.”

“What’s in the west wing?” piped up the girl.

“It’s forbidden!” snapped Kara, glaring at Lena.

“That’s not exactly an answer,” muttered Lena.

“I heard that!”

“Sorry,” said Lena, rolling her eyes a little. She was afraid of this masked creature, but she couldn’t help the sarcasm. After an entire year of dealing with Mon-El, it had become an instinct.

A few more seconds of walking led them to a beautiful but dark room. Kara motioned Lena inside but stayed by the doorway.

“If you need anything, my servants will attend to you,” Kara informed Lena.

“Invite her to dinner,” whispered Winn the candlestick.

“And you will join me for dinner. That’s an order!” shouted Kara, shutting the door.

 

Lena felt the rush of air hit her face as the door closed. She couldn’t help but feel trapped, despair rising in her chest like never before. Oh, how she’d wished for more than a provincial life, but if this was what it was going to be like, she wanted to go back. She wanted nothing more than her books, her animals, and most of all, her freedom. She wouldn’t have minded Mon-El being annoying right about then. Rushing to the bed, she face planted and began to cry into the sheets. After all, it would be more comfortable to cry on the sheets than it would be to cry in front of the door.

 

* * *

 

“Who does she think she is?” muttered Mon-El, sitting in front of the fireplace in the bar. He sat glumly as Nimrod brought back two beers. He grabbed both of them and sipped them once before throwing them into the fire. “Rejecting me! How humiliating. I’ve never felt that before.”

“More beer?” asked Nimrod, chuckling nervously.

“What for?” sighed Mon-El. “Nothing can get me out of the dumps now. I’ve not used to losing.”

“Oh, come on! Everyone in this town loves you, Mon-El! There’s not a single person who wouldn’t want to _be_ you!” assured Nimrod.

“Except Lena, apparently.”

“Damn it, Mon-El! Pull yourself together!” yelled Nimrod. “Damn, I never thought I’d say this, but I’d rather you be an arrogant ass than be so mopey! It’s disgusting!”

Mon-El grunted, shifting away from Nimrod. Nimrod stood on a table and began to shout.

“Hey, everyone! What do you think of Mon-El?” he asked.

“He’s a champ!”

“He’s so dreamy.”

“I’d love to be him.”

“He’s the face of this town.”

“There’s no one who deserves more!”

Mon-El began to cheer up a little, seeing just how much the men in the bar were so fond of him.

“He’s so muscular.”

“So strong.”

“He could throw me to the moon if he wanted to.”

“Who wouldn’t want to be in his arms?”

“I would massage his feet all day.”

Mon-El stood up, his ginormous form casting a shadow over half of the men.

“I work out, you know,” he grinned, showing off his pearly white teeth. He ran his fingers through his hair again, fluffing them up in a pompous fashion. “Did you know I ate three dozen eggs a day growing up?”

“Oh my!”

“No wonder he’s so big.”

“He can have _my_ eggs.”

“And now, I eat five dozen!” he declared.

“So dreamy!”

“His neck is so thick.”

“His arms are bigger than my body!”

“His thighs are like barrels!”

“His chest is bigger than any woman’s I’ve ever seen!”

Suddenly, in the middle of receiving praise, a very disheveled Lionel burst into the bar, snow all over his head and a blush spreading throughout his face. All the people in the bar began to stare.

“Help!” shouted Lionel, running around the bar like a madman. “Help me, please! I need your help! It’s got her locked in the dungeon!”

“Who?”

“Lena! My wonderful daughter! We must go! We can’t leave her there!”

“Woah,” boomed Mon-El. “Who’s go Lena locked in a dungeon?”

“A...hideous, masked, _beast_!” Lionel screamed.

The people that had originally listened to Lionel began to laugh and jeer at him.

“Oh...a beast, he says!”

“Was it ugly and scary and large, Lionel?”

“Yes, yes, and no!” he shrieked. “You have to believe me!”

“I bet it’s got laser eyes and super hearing!”

“I don’t know!” he yelled, covering his eyes. “She’s in danger!”

“Oh, Lionel, how you make us laugh,” said Mon-El, personally grabbing Lionel and tossing him out of the door and into the cold snowbank.

“Crazy old Lionel,” muttered the banker.

“Hmmm...crazy, old, Lionel,” said Mon-El, rubbing his chin. “Nimrod, I have an idea!”

“Oh no, Mon-El, have you been thinking?”

“Yes! But it’s brilliant. Lena’s father is nothing but insane!”

“I don’t get it.”

“Oh, Nimrod, just think about it!” said Mon-El, whacking his little sidekick on the head.

“Oh! I get it! I get it!”

“Then let’s go!” declared Mon-El, pumping a fist in the air.

In the meantime, Lionel stood outside in the center of the town as snow furiously poured onto him.

“Will no one help me?” he cried out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For more SuperCorp, come find me on Tumblr at super-luthor-gay
> 
> Everything with the whole Winn and Alex thing will be explained later. Don't worry.
> 
> Also! For anyone who understands the Phantom references...good day to you! Good day to those who don't understand it, too!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! Hope you enjoy this addition! It's a bit longer - it also needs to be edited, but I wanted you guys to have something.

A knock on the door interrupted Lena’s crying session. She turned around, startled, for she feared that the Beast had returned. Then again, perhaps, if it _was_ the Beast, wouldn’t she have broken down the door? Lena walked up to the door, her knees shaking as she did so.

“Who’s there?” she called out.

A teapot and a few cups marched into her room, clanking around as they surrounded her.

“Well,” remarked the teapot. “I figured _perhaps_ you’d like some tea.”

“You’re...you’re...what?” exclaimed Lena, gasping as she backed away from the door and into her dresser.

“I thought I told Winn to tell you not to intrude on our guest!” exclaimed the dresser. “Lady Lena, I am terribly sorry for this inconvenience.”

“Gosh, I must be dreaming,” mumbled Lena. “First, a beast kidnaps my father, then me, and now there’s talking furniture.”

“Girl, you are being quite rude,” said the teapot, pouring some tea into the chipped teacup and ordering that sugar be added. “I merely wanted to see if you would like some tea. It’s not an offer I make to many.”

“Thank you,” sighed Lena, picking up the cup. “I do apologize for my remarks. I’m just...rather startled. I’m sure you can imagine.”

“My name’s Carter!” exclaimed the cup, bubbling up the tea. “And that’s my ma, Ms. Grant!”

“Now, now, Carter,” said Ms. Grant. “Thank you, dear, for the introductions, but you mustn’t address us by our names in front of... _her_.”

“You’re pretty!” giggled Carter as Lena took a sip of tea.

“You know,” started Ms. Grant. “You were very brave up there, you know? I don’t know anyone who would’ve stood up to the Beast like that.”

“Really?” asked Lena. “But I lost all my dreams, all of my future...who knows what the Beast will do with me?”

“Oh, child,” muttered Ms. Grant. “Excuse my language, my naive lady, but get your head out of your ass. Pull yourself together. You stood up to the Beast once. You’ll be able to do it again. I’m personally not an optimist, but there’s no need to be such a pessimist. Perhaps the Beast will make the castle more homely than you think.”

Lena sighed. “I suppose, Ms. Grant.”

“Look at the time! Duty calls from the kitchen. There’s a supper to be prepared!” Ms. Grant said, heading out the door with the conga line of teacups.

“Lady Lena, let’s get you dressed for dinner!” said the dresser, opening up her drawers shyly.

“Please, just call me Lena. What’s your name?”

The dresser made a face. “My name is Jess. Now, come on, let’s get you dressed.”

“Thanks, Jess,” said Lena. “But I’m not going to dinner.”

“What?”

The door opened once more and let in a little clock.

“Ahem.” The clock cleared its throat as it poised itself in a professional manner. “Dinner is served. The Beast awaits you.”

 

* * *

 

Winn and Ms. Grant sat upon the mantle as Kara paced back and forth by the dinner table. Candles and wonderful food - soup, noodles, and many potstickers - lined the long table. Kara shifted uncomfortably and touched her mangled face, covering it up with one hand while holding the other behind her back.

“What’s taking so damn long?” boomed Kara, her veins glowing red. “Where is she?!”

“Did you...perhaps...leave a note?” asked Winn.

“Of course not! Why should I leave any sort of note when I specifically ordered her to come down?”

“Kie- _Ma’am_ , perhaps you should just be a little more patient.”

“Little bit of patience...little bit of patience…” muttered Kara, still pacing.

“Have you thought...that maybe... _she_ could be the one to break the spell?” asked Winn, playing with his flaming hands. “I mean, you fall in love with her, then she falls in love with you, and bam! We-I mean, _you_ ’re back to normal!”

“Fool! It’s not that easy,” said Ms. Grant. “Oh, you’re such a naive child, candlestick boy.”

“Of course I’ve thought about it!” snapped Kara. “Everyone that walks in here I consider to be a suitor! But it doesn’t matter! She’s so beautiful...but me...just look at me. Hideous. Dangerous. Unsuitable!”

Ms. Grant and Winn looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Winn shrugged his “shoulders” and looked at Ms. Grant, who grew a determined look upon her face.

“Well, _Beast_ , as you call yourself,” said Ms. Grant. “Pouting certainly won’t help your cause. It sure as hell will not make her love you if you’re just moping around all day! You have to show her who you really are! You have to make her see past the face and the danger and prove yourself to be a plausible lover!”

“How?!” yelled Kara, pulling out her mirror. “How the hell am I supposed to do that, when I have a goddamn gaping hole in my face? I don’t know what to do!”

“Technically, she also has a hole in her face. Three, actually. Five, if you include the ears,” muttered Winn.

“ _Sweetie_ ,” said Ms. Grant. “Then at least stop yelling and make yourself presentable to her! Stand up straighter! Look like a...hero!”

Kara obeyed Ms. Grant blindly. She raised her chin a little and pulled her shoulders back to puff out her chest and straightened her back.

“Yes! And charm her with your smile,” suggested Winn.

Kara gave a nervous grin, showing her teeth through the hole in her cheek. A little creepy, but perhaps it would do.

“Be a gentle lady!” ordered Ms. Grant.

“But show her how strong you are!” said Winn.

“Ask about her!”

“And make sure you’re honest.”

“Charm her!”

“But don’t hurt her.”

All this advice was confusing Kara. She felt her blood begin to heat up as her veins began to turn red.

“And most of all, control your damn temper!” exclaimed the both of them.

The door to the dining room opened. Excited, Kara whipped her head around, expectant of the beautiful girl. Instead, there was the talking clock. Kara frowned, a crinkle appearing between her eyes.

“So,” said Alex. “There’s been a little...situation. You see, the dresser, it kind of...got messy, and like, now isn’t a good time, so…”

“So?”

“Well. She isn’t coming.”

“SHE WHAT!?” screamed Kara, flying out of the room and right in front of Lena’s room.

Kara almost punched holes into the door with the amount of force she used to knock. Three booms resounded through the dark castle as she slapped the door.

“Did I not instruct that you were to come to dinner?!” shouted Kara.

“I’m not hungry!” replied Lena.

You’ll come out or I’ll...I’ll break down the door!”

“I’m surprised you haven’t already!”

“GRAHH!”

“Ma’am...heh,” chuckled Winn, nervously. “Perhaps...that’s not how you win her heart over.”

“Please just...try to be nice?” suggested Alex. “It can’t hurt.”

“But she’s being so difficult!” complained Kara. “I just want her to love me now!”

“It’s not working!” shouted Lena. “Pst! I can hear you guys!”

“Be soft,” whispered Ms. Grant.

“Will you please come down to dinner?” asked Kara, as politely and as least sarcastically as she could.

“No!” replied Lena.

Kara angrily motioned to the door and glared at Ms. Grant.

“Gently,” instructed Alex.

“It would...make me extremely happy...if you were to join me for dinner...please?” Kara asked, bowing down a little.

“No!”

“You can’t stay in there forever!” shouted Kara, her entire face glowing scarlet.

“Yes, I can!”

“FINE!” roared Kara. “Go ahead and _starve_! If she doesn’t eat with me, then she doesn’t eat at all!”

Kara soared into her room, the red in her face almost bright enough to light up the dark room. She knocked broken furniture around and landed by her magic mirror, examining the rose in the case beside it.

“She doesn’t listen when I shout, she doesn’t listen when I ask her nicely...what does she expect me to do? Bake?” muttered Kara, picking up the mirror. “How ridiculous.”

The mirror glowed a bright green and blue and electricity trickled all around the frame. Kara’s angry grip didn’t even put a dent into the handle.

“Show me the girl,” ordered Kara.

The mirror obeyed, presenting a very adamant and broken Lena, sitting on the bed as she talked to the dresser.

“Lady Lena, you know, she’s not so bad once you get to know her,” said the dresser. “She’s not so bad once you really get to know her.”

“I don’t want to give her a chance!” shouted Lena. “She stole my father, then my freedom, and expects me to obey everything she demands? As if! I don’t want to listen to her. I don’t want anything to do with her!”

Kara glumly put down the mirror, tears stinging her eyes and Lena’s words stabbing her heart.

“I’m just making this more painful,” whispered Kara, despair falling upon her once again. “She’ll never see me as anything but a dangerous, ugly fool. It’s hopeless.”

The rose in the bell jar wilted a little more as a bright red petal fell to the ground, the life in the petal fading. Kara’s heart wrenched at the sight of her life trickling away as she stared out of the balcony.

 

* * *

 

As the daughter of an inventor, Lena had learned to be curious. She had learned to ask questions, to think on her own, and most of all, go out and explore. Now that she had had some time to be alone with her own thoughts, she opened her door as quietly as she could and sneaked out of her room. Fortunately for her, Winn the candlestick was a little preoccupied with Siobhan the broomstick behind the curtain.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Alex furiously scrubbed her clock hands as Ms. Grant tucked Carter into the cupboard. James the stove grumbled as he examined the untouched soup.

“But ma, I’m not sleepy!” Carter protested while yawning.

“Sure, sweetie.”

“Do I have to?”

“Yes, Carter. In you go. Adam will take great care of you.”

“You know,” remarked Alex. “That girl was just being stubborn! Kar-The Beast has never said please to anyone before. It’s only the first night, and she’s already being so much more patient.”

“Patient, my ass,” responded Ms. Grant. “She needs to control her damn temper. She cannot go a full sentence without butchering the poor girl.”

Despite Lena’s careful tiptoeing, Alex’s extreme reflexes were able to sense the opening of the door.

“I am rather enchanted to meet you!” said Alex, walking over to Lena. “My name is Alex.”

Winn had just barely caught up to Lena and dashed through the door, skidding to a halt right in front of Alex. He flashed a charming smile and extended a candle towards Lena.

“And that buffoon is Winn,” grumbled Alex, annoyed that Winn had pulled such a stunt.

“I heard from the dresser - Jess, perhaps - that I can’t use your real names,” said Lena. “Why not?”

“We used to be the Beast’’s family and friends,” explained Alex. “At least, before the bandits burned the village down.”

“But we were brought back to life by a sorceress,” elaborated Winn. “Under the condition that we would do nothing but serve the Beast, and that we would not reveal ourselves to her.”

“If we were to reveal ourselves to the Beast, we would be sent back to our graves.”

“It wasn’t originally the plan,” admitted Winn. “See, when the sorceress originally “cursed” the Beast, she was trying to reward the girl. We were returned to life, but in the form of enchanted furniture and cutlery. All we had to do was serve her, and we could continue life as...cutlery.”

“I can imagine it seems odd, but it was better than being dead,” chuckled Alex. “But then Kara - the Beast, if you haven’t figured out by now - was a mere child and didn’t understand how to control her powers. She grew distasteful and ungrateful, and that’s what made the enchantress really curse her. The enchantress sentenced us not to reveal ourselves as her old friends and family, while cursing the Beast to look...more like a demon.”

“Oh no!” said Lena, covering her mouth with her hands.

“Anyways,” said Alex, clearing her throat. “Is there anything we may do to make your stay here a little more...hospitable?”

“Well, I am quite hungry,” responded Lena, her stomach growling in agreement.

“You are?” said Ms. Grant, her face glowing. “Well, you all heard the lady. James! Turn the fire back on! Ready the plates and the cutlery!”

“Ms. Grant!” exclaimed Alex. “What about what the Beast said?”

“Do you really think I’m that heartless, Ms. Danvers?” said Ms. Grant, rolling her eyes. “I’m not about to let the poor girl go hungry.”

“Fine, fine, just...be careful! I don’t want the Beast to get mad at all of us!”

“Calm down, Alex,” said Winn. “She’s our guest, not just some prisoner! We can at least try to make her feel more welcome.”

“Fine! But if you guys get caught…”

“Blah, blah, blah.”

“You wouldn’t have had the guts to do that in real life.”

“Well, I’m the one with the fire.”

“You’re despicable!”

“I’ve heard worse.”

Winn escorted Lena to the dining room with Alex following closely behind them. Food carts and plates came to life as they shuffled down the table and placed themselves in front of Lena, carrying all sorts of pies and potstickers and even some pasta that Lionel used to make for her.

“It is a bit odd for us to get visitors,” said Winn. “We’ve been here for around ten years, so you can imagine the sheer joy that we felt when you came along.”

“Really?” asked Lena, dipping her fork into a pie on a moving plate.

“So be our guest!” exclaimed Winn. “You can bet _anything_ that this food is better than anything you’ve ever had before! We make nothing but the best, and especially for you!”

“We haven’t brought out these plates in _years_ !” said Ms. Grant. “Oh, we have so much work to do. I _love_ it. Chop, chop, little ones!”

Silverware began to polish itself and plates bathed in the kitchen sinks. The rusty old saucepans began to shine and tooted out happy melodies as the porcelain seemed to dance towards her. Lena watched in wonder and joy as the kitchen brightened up from a cold lair into a lively festival. Champagne sprouted from vintage bottles, desserts bounced up and down on the trays, and candlesticks began to prance up and down. And to Lena’s greatest wonder, the curtain above her fell down, revealing the beautiful chandelier that hung above them all. For the first time since coming to the castle, she finally felt as though she were not a prisoner.

“That’s amazing!” she remarked, clapping her hands together and beaming at the animated utensils. “Oh, thank you so much for this wonderful meal.”

“Of course, of course, it’s an honor to have you as a guest,” said Alex, bowing a little. “Perhaps it’s...ah...time to go to bed, Lena.”

“You just showed me this wonderful performance, and now you expect me to be able to go to bed? I want to explore this castle. I’ve never been inside of an enchanted castle before, you know?”

“Well…” began Alex.

“Come on,” urged Lena. “I’m sure you, Alex, of all people, know where everything in the castle is! I’d love a tour from _you_.”

Alex beamed. “You’re not wrong. Alright, let’s go!”

 

* * *

 

“So this art gallery is filled with paintings from the Renaissance,” explained Alex, as they moved down a huge hallway filled with art. “Meaning ‘reborn,’ the Renaissance offered scientists, artists, and other people to get away from the medieval look on life, since the Black Plague showed no mercy upon them.”

“This is wonderful!”

“I agree. We, after all, were reborn. Reincarnated, if you will.”

“What is this music?” asked Lena.

“That would be Handel - a composer known for his Baroque style. Don’t know how I feel about it. After all -” said Alex. “- if it’s Baroque, then perhaps it ought to be fixed!”

Lena groaned. “You and my father both. What is it with you and wordplay?”

They continued down the hall as Alex kept rambling on and on about history. Truthfully, Lena was too polite to say that she didn’t care, but she did realize that if she just walked rather quickly, she could explore more of the castle without getting stopped as often. Quickening her pace, she was able to outrun the little clock.

Alex, of course, was surprised to find the girl gone when she looked up from her historic babbling. She ran all the way down the hall to find Lena beginning to climb the stairs.

“Oh, no, not there!” shouted Alex, stopping Lena.

“What’s over there?”

“Well, uh, that’s just...the West Wing! It’s where…” Winn trailed off.

“It’s where?”

“It’s where she stores all her junk!” exclaimed Alex. “She’s...such a slob, really.”

“Is that really her secret?” laughed Lena. “That’s adorable, really. I’d like to see it. It can’t be that much of a mess.”

“Come on, I’m sure you want to see something else,” protested Winn. “You don’t want to see the West Wing.”

“I want to see the West Wing.”

“There’s so many other things!”

“Like what?” Lena was beginning to lose her patience. Her curiosity was growing exponentially.

“Like...tapestries…”

“Maybe later.”

“We have a library!” blurted Alex.

“A library?” Lena’s ears perked up a little at the mention of books.

Winn and Alex let out a sigh of relief. “Yes! Follow us!”

Lena began to follow them down the stairs, but seeing as the two were clearly distracted, she used to the moment to tiptoe up back up the stairs. She desperately wanted to know what was behind those doors. What could Kara be hiding that was so awful? It couldn’t be that bad. Nothing could be that bad. But the deeper down the hallway she walked, the creepier and darker the castle felt. Broken painting frames lined the walls, as did broken mirrors. Gargoyles haunted her as chills traveled down her spine. Finally, she came across the huge doors to the Beast’s lair. She hesitated a little, for fear had filled her heart, but she mustered enough courage to push open the mammoth door.

Inside was evidence of at least some past life. It seemed more of a crime scene than anything, with torn sheets and broken tables strewn about. Lena walked inside and peered at the mangled furniture when suddenly, the red glow of a beautiful rose drew her attention. She tiptoed towards it and peered at it before lifting the bell jar. She was simply enchanted by its beauty and merely wanted a simple touch, but suddenly, a huge shadow was cast over her.

The Beast lunged towards the bell jar and immediately placed it upon the rose, hugging it in a protective embrace.

“Why have you come here?!” asked Kara. “I told you this place was forbidden!”

“I’m sorry,” said Lena, seeing the hurt and fear in Kara’s eyes.

“Sorrys don’t fix anything! Do you realize the damage you could’ve done?”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

“Just get out!”

“But-”

“OUT!”

Kara began to shoot lasers out of her eyes and flew at Lena, causing her to run away. Lena wasted no time getting away. She draped her coat over her shoulders and ran out the door, much to Winn and Alex’s dismay.

“Where are you going?” they asked.

“I can’t stand it here!” Lena cried out. “I don’t care about any promises! This is horrendous!”

She rode upon Philemon into the snowy evening. She headed straight into the forest, looking for the path she had taken to get there, but she found that the snow had covered everything up. Instead, Lena found herself surrounded by a huge pack of wolves. They began to growl and close in on her, but fortunately, Philemon’s nimble feet were able to run away and let her escape.

But the pack animals wasted no time in catching back up to the two. The wolves began to lunge at Philemon, trying to bite his leg as he ran. They ascended a mountain, hoping that they would be able to lose these wild creatures by zigzagging through the forest, but more wolves joined in on the hunt.

Lena was bucked off and fell facefirst into the snow. Philemon found himself stuck, his reins wrapped around tree branches. Lena dashed towards him, grabbing a stick to defend herself with, but the seething wolves all seemed too dangerous for her. When one of them pounced at her, she swung the stick and batted it away, hoping that the stick would do the job. Unfortunately, on the next swing, Lena’s stick broke between the jaws of a much stronger wolf, leaving her without a weapon. She fell into the snow once more and felt her coat tighten around her neck as a wolf began to gnaw on it.

“There’s no hope for me!” she yelped. “Help me!”

She screamed, a shrill sound ringing through the forest. Suddenly, the wolf was thrown off to the side, bolts of red flashing all around her. Something moving at a superhuman speed was throwing some of the wolves somewhere else by creating a vortex. Looking closely at her rescuer, she recognized the blonde hair and icy blue eyes immediately.

“Kara?” she called out.

The Beast turned her way for a fraction of a millisecond, which let the wolf in her hands bite her arm. Kara howled in pain as she blasted the wolf with heat and nursed her arm, examining the bite marks as blood gushed out. The other wolves scampered away, not wanting to be incinerated by Kara’s fury. Fatigue coming over her, Kara glanced at Lena before collapsing into the snow.

Lena couldn’t believe what had just happened. Kara - angry, impatient Kara, who insisted on being called a Beast - had run out from the safety of her own castle for Lena. For Lena, who wanted _nothing_ to do with her. For Lena, who had shown the Beast nothing but stubborn rejection. For Lena, who she had only known for a few days.

And it had all seemed to come from a place deep inside of Kara. The look that Kara had given her just before passing out had been filled with nothing but concern and worry. She didn’t even know that Kara was capable of such emotion.

Lena took her coat and draped it over Kara before placing her atop Philemon and walking back into Kara’s castle.


	4. Chapter 4

When they returned to the castle, the Beast had not woken up. Lena was beginning to worry that the wolves had seriously injured the woman, frequently holding up a mirror to the Beast’s disfigured face to see if she was still breathing and pressing on her neck to see if there was a pulse. She lifted the Beast with all her might and perched her upon the chair in front of the fireplace with her coat still draped over the cold woman. Lena swiftly made a trip to the kitchen and back for some warm water so that she could tend to the slashes on the Beast’s arm, but the Beast woke up, screaming loudly as she gripped her wounded arm.

“You!” yelled the Beast, taking Lena’s coat and hiding her face with it. 

“Me!”

“ARGH!”

“Dammit, hold still!” ordered Lena as she tried to press a rag to the wound.

The Beast hollered in pain as the hot rag made contact with the open flesh, her eyes filling up with heat.

“That HURTS!”

“Well, if you held still, it wouldn’t hurt so fucking much!”

“If you hadn’t run away,” said the Beast, glaring at Lena, “then  _ maybe _ this wouldn’t have happened.”

“If you hadn’t scared me half to death,” shouted Lena, “then I wouldn’t have run away!”

The Beast opened her mouth to retort, but had to think for a moment before responding. “Well you shouldn’t have been in the West Wing! I told you not to go there! Of all the damn places you could’ve gone…”

“Well you should learn to control your temper!” lectured Lena. “Now hold still, damn it.”

Kara held out her arm to Lena reluctantly.

“Now, this might sting a little,” said Lena, her voice no longer so frustrated. Kara grimaced, preparing for the sting as Lena dabbed her wound. “By the way...um...thank you...for saving my life.”

“Huh?” Kara was genuinely confused. Not once in a decade had anyone ever thanked her for anything. To hear it so...full of raw emotion was something Kara was no longer used to. In this godforsaken castle, there wasn’t much honesty to go around.

“You’re welcome,” responded Kara, looking at Lena straight in the eyes. It was the first time she took a proper look at the girl. She had seen at first glance just how beautiful the woman was, but she hadn’t taken the time to look at the glittering green jewels that were her eyes and the wonderful complement of her dark hair to her pale complexion. A hint of a true smile played around Lena’s lips, but what really got to Kara was the glimmer of hope and kindness in Lena’s eyes.

Maybe, just  _ maybe _ , there was a chance for her yet.

 

* * *

 

“I, uh, usually don’t leave the comfort of my home in the middle of the night, especially not when it’s snowing like that,” said Maxwell Lord, glaring at Mon-El as he sat down at the barstool. “Unless you have some sort of offer?”

Mon-El threw a bag of coins at Maxwell, who eagerly opened it and began counting them. 

“Now we’re talking. So, what is it that you want?”

Well,” began Mon-El, fluffing his hair again. “I want to marry that Lena.”

“And what? You want me to like, throw you a wedding or something?”

“He’s already tried that!” jeered Nimrod, earning a slap from Mon-El.

“Well, Lionel came in here earlier, raving like a  _ lunatic _ about some beast. Who knows?” said Mon-El.

“Lionel is harmless.”

“I know. But that’s not the point. Point is, Lena would do anything to keep him out of there, including marrying me! Once she does marry me, she’ll just see how wonderful I truly am,” sighed Mon-El.

“Let me get this straight. YOU want me to lock Lionel - a harmless man - up in an asylum for actual lunatics, so that Lena will marry you?” asked Maxwell.

“Yes!”

“You’re such a terrible person,” smirked Maxwell. “It’s admirable, really. Business is business, after all.”

Mon-El and Maxwell shook hands in the bar. Meanwhile, Lionel began to pack up some supplies.

“I’ll find Lena again!” he shouted. “Whatever I do, I’ll be sure to find her again! No beast can stay hidden from me. I’ll find that damn castle!”

Luckily for him, he had already made his way into the dark forest when Mon-El and Nimrod arrived at his home, tearing it apart while looking for Lena. 

“Well, guess she ain’t here,” muttered Nimrod. “Heh, maybe it won’t work!”

“Don’t sound so excited!” yelled Mon-El, grabbing him by the throat as they walked outside. He stuck Nimrod into the snow right by the door. “Don’t. Move. A. Muscle. They’re going to return at one point, and when they do, you’ll be right here to see it.”

“Wait!” yelled Nimrod, reaching out for Mon-El. “Well, fuck.”

 

* * *

 

Kara watched as Lena and Philemon trod in the snowy yard. Lena nuzzled Philemon, who, for once, didn’t look so scared. In fact - unless Kara’s hawk eyes were betraying her - the two of them seemed...happy. Kara smiled as she looked down at her arm, which was now bound by gauze in a careful, professional manner. She knew, even without using her x-ray vision, that the wound was healing nicely. 

It was odd to have trekked further than outside of her own gate for the first time in ten years. For years the walls of the castle had kept everyone outside of the castle safe from her, and immediately after she left, she had thrown bodies of wolves everywhere, hurting them. In the moment, Kara had felt guilty, but that guilt was nothing compared to the pure passion she had felt for protecting Lena. 

“It’s okay, as long as I protected her,” she mumbled, reassuring herself that she didn’t do something wrong. 

As she continued to watch Lena explore the yard, she felt some soft emotion filling her inside. Sparks of something she couldn’t quite put a finger on, but it was definitely there.

“I’ve never felt this way before,” said Kara, turning to Alex. “I want to do something for her! But what?”

“Well, chocolates? Food? I mean, that works on you, doesn’t it?” suggested Alex. “Promises that you don’t intend to keep?”

“I thought you were smart,” jeered Winn. “Nah. It’s got to be something that really captures her interest. She’s no ordinary girl, you know? Wait! I have an idea!”

A few minutes later, Kara found herself in front of two large doors with Lena. 

“Lena...uh...there’s something I want to show you,” said Kara, her voice soft.

“What is it, uh...Beast? What do I call you?”

“Kara. My name is Kara.”

“Kara. That’s a beautiful name.”

Kara’s insides bubbled as her name slid easily off of Lena’s tongue. She felt a grin come to her face. “Well, you gotta close your eyes!”

“Hmmm,” smirked Lena, looking at Kara a little funny. 

“It’s a surprise!”

“Alright, alright. I’ll abide by your rules just this once.”

Kara stared at Lena, looking for any sign that she wasn’t actually closing her eyes. She pulled her head into her neck, making faces as odd as she could to incite any sort of response from Lena. Her excitement grew once evidence showed that Lena had actually obeyed her. Kara pulled open both doors and slowly guided Lena into the room, holding her hands as she did so. As Kara flew around the room to pull open the curtains, light began to flood through Lena’s eyelids, eliciting a gasp from her. 

“Can I open my eyes now?” asked Lena.

“Yes, you can.”

Kara nervously scratched her neck and bit her nails as Lena glanced around the room, which turned out to be a wonderful library. Shelves upon shelves were stocked with endless amounts of books, all dusty but still colorful. The charming crystalline chandelier glittered as Lena began to run all around the room, grabbing books from one shelf and flipping through each and every one of them. 

“Oh my!” she exclaimed, excitement pulsing through her.

“Do you like it?” asked Kara, anxious to hear her response.

“Do I like it? I  _ love _ it!” Lena said, stacking more books on a nearby table. 

“Then it’s all yours.”

At this point, Lena ran up to Kara and threw her arms around her, gripping her tightly.

Kara wasn’t sure how to react to this close contact. A warmth spread throughout her body like never before, Lena’s warm breath right by her neck making her shudder a little. More of those sparks and bubbles from before flooded her system. Kara was scared that she would hurt the girl if she hugged her back. She had never been able to control her strength before.

“Eh, fuck it,” thought Kara as she wrapped her arms around Lena tightly, glad to hear no bones cracking.

Perhaps Kara was learning to control her powers, instead of letting them control her.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Lena woke up actually excited for the day. Kara had actually _ invited _ her to breakfast, instead of ordering her, and after the incident with the library the day before, she felt like this castle could actually become her home. The library back in the town was nothing compared to the library here. But it wasn’t even the gift itself that really struck Lena’s heart. The fact that Kara had even  _ thought _ to give her something and take time to think about what Lena would actually like was proof of what humanity was left in Kara.

Alex escorted Lena to the table, which was a lot smaller and seemed much more casual. Kara, already seated, seemed ready for whatever food would be there for her. 

“Lena!” she exclaimed.

“Good morning, Kara,” greeted Lena,

The smell of breakfast filled her nostrils as food began to fill her plate magically. In front of her lay a rather large dumpling.

“These are my favorite,” said Kara, slamming her face into the table to engulf around five of them inside of her mouth.

“What are they?”

“Breakfast potstickers!” exclaimed Kara, food spilling out from her mouth. “Oops.”

Lena laughed. “So, an omelet?”

“Ah,” said Kara, waggling a finger. “Not quite. The shell’s made of, like, strudel dough. Inside is this wonderful egg and sausage hash with a ton of spices.”

Lena took a small bite, cutting pieces with a fork and knife, unlike the very messy Kara. Kara seemed a little embarrassed, taking the fork and knife in her hands as though they were foreign objects. Suddenly, the utensils cracked and bent in her hands, causing Kara to zip under the table.

“Kara?”

“Don’t come near me!”

“Kara!”

“I’m just going to hurt you!”

“Kara.”

“Please, Lena, I don’t want to hurt you!”

“Kara…”

“Everything I go near, I break!” wailed Kara. “I’m on like, my tenth chair, you know? There’s so many broken things everywhere. I just can’t control my strength!”

Lena stretched a hand out to Kara, crawling under the table with her. “You did just fine when you hugged me.”

“I...I got lucky!”

“No, Kara, you’re learning to control yourself.”

“I...I...I am?”

“I can help you learn to control it.”

“Y-you would do that?”

“Yes.”

Kara, who had impulsively covered up her hideous face peeked out from behind her fingers. Gently, Kara grabbed Lena’s hand with two fingers as they climbed out from under the table. Kara sat down in her seat and stared at the food in front of her. A light bulb turned on inside of Lena’s head. She gripped a breakfast potsticker with her hands and bit into it, sort of like a taco. Kara followed her example, smiling at the compromise.

“Hey, you’re not breaking it!” exclaimed Lena.

“Well, I have a soft spot for food,” admitted Kara. “I could never hurt the poor thing.”

 

* * *

 

Kara and Lena made their way outside onto the snowy yard once more, Kara melting a path in front of them through the snow. Kara scrambled up the tree and called for Lena, who had already begun to climb the cold branches. Perched like birds, they looked out at the forest that separated Lena’s boring, provincial life from this exotic one.

“I have to admit something,” said Kara.

“Yeah?”

“Until you came...I hadn’t been outside for ten years,” confessed Kara, rubbing her neck nervously.

“What? Have you never played in the snow?”

“Er...no.”

“Oh, come on! Surely you had to leave your castle at some point. This is a marvelous area you have here, you know? Come on, let’s have some fun!”

“What?”

Lena had jumped down from the tree before Kara could even blink. She lay down in the snow and began to wave her arms and legs from side to side, creating impressions in the snow. Getting up, she revealed a rather messy snow angel.

“Here, you try it!” said Lena.

“O-okay!”

Kara carefully lay in the snow, as if she were afraid to break something. She, like Lena, began to shuffle her arms and legs about before levitating and standing upright. The angel that Kara had created was perfect, but there was snow all over Kara’s face.

“Oh, it’s perfect!” exclaimed Lena. “I’ve never seen one so crisp in outline! How did you do it?”

Kara began to sweat. “I-i uh, just did what you did?”

“Did flying help?”

“It must have.”

Lena began to reach out towards Kara’s face. Kara began to shrink away from her, until Lena grabbed her arm. 

“I’m not going to hurt you,” said Lena, reassuring Kara. She brushed off the snow from Kara’s cheeks and nose. “There! The snow’s off your face.”

A faint blush colored Kara’s cheeks. “Oh...heh.”

The seemingly horrific face had actually grown somewhat endearing to Lena. She didn’t care so much about it anymore. A face was just a face. If she really cared about looks, she would’ve already fallen in love with Mon-El. No doubt he was handsome, but it was his arrogance and terrible treatment of everyone else that really turned her against him. The Beast looked awful, but it had been the soul inside that she had feared at first, not the face. She no longer had any reason to flinch when she looked at Kara, especially not when Kara’s icy blue eyes had become a warm, inviting shade instead.

“What’s flying like?” asked Lena.

“T-to be honest,” stammered Kara. “I don’t remember. I fly inside the castle so often, but it’s hard for me to remember what flying outside is like.”

“But you flew just a few days ago!”

“I was focused on rescuing you, though, not flying for fun! Those are two completely different feelings!”

“Why don’t you try it now?”

“T-try it now?”

“Go for a test flight, I mean. Right here, right now!”

Kara leaned back and prepared to jump into the air. Launching herself into the sky, she opened up her arms and began to laugh, the wind pushing her hair back as she traced her own path with the clouds. Birds chirped and began to join her flight. A smile spread across Lena’s face as she craned her neck to watch this “Beast” pilot her way with such elegance and poise. 

“This is wonderful!” shouted Kara.

“I can’t imagine!” responded Lena.

Kara landed right next to Lena, snow jumping all over the place and splattering Lena with it. 

“Kara!”

“Oh my god, I’m so sor-”

Lena began to laugh as she brushed off the snow. She packed a small snowball and threw it at Kara’s face. 

“Oh, you’re so going to get it now!” teased Kara, beginning to roll up an even larger snowball.

“Nope! Not if you can’t catch me!” said Lena, throwing another snowball at Kara.

Winn and Alex watched Kara and Lena from inside the castle. 

“Well, if I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought they’re already married by now,” said Winn.

“You think any two people who are somewhat close are married, you fool!” said Alex, clocking him on the head with one of her hands. “You’re not completely wrong. There’s something there that wasn’t there before.”

“Hey, if I do say so myself, that library was the perfect gift for Lena.”

“It really was. You, for once, did something right.”

“Hey! I do...some other...things right, you know?”

“Sure, sure.”

“It’s not like you’re perfect, either! What about that...that shovel girl? Whatever happened with her?”

“Maggie?”

“Yeah. You told me that you literally dig her.”

“It’s not my fault pretty girls make me do stupid things!”

“Mm, always blame the pretty girls.”

“Shut up, Winn!”

“Didn’t you say you had something to do, by the way?”

“Shit! You’re right! Can you gather everyone? I’ll grab as many as I can. Meet me back by the staircase.”

“See you there. Hope Maggie comes!”

“Shut up!”

Within half an hour, all of the enchanted staff had assembled at the foot of the staircase. Alex stepped up a few stairs in order to let her presence be known. Clearing her throat, she began to speak.

“You may be wondering why I have called you all here!” said Alex.

“Because you’re desperate for attention?” asked Maggie.

Alex reddened. “We have less than twelve hours to set up for tonight’s ballroom dance. I don’t know about love, but I am pretty sure that Kara has already developed feelings for our guest! I want this dance to be a sort of catalyst so that they end up together soon!”

“We don’t have so much time,” admitted Winn. “The rose has been wilting and only a few petals are left. Once it dies, we will never be able to admit to Kara who we are. We have no chance of coming back to our human form. We’ve been given the chance to live again as furniture and tools, but I don’t really want to spend the rest of my life with fire for hands.”

“We can be reunited with Kara as the happy villagers we once were!” said Alex.

“Let’s do this.”

 

* * *

 

Lena paraded around the library, hunting for a book to read. Kara flew around from shelf to shelf, picking up anything that Lena might have some sort of interest in. They both sat in front of the fireplace, piling their find together.

“What’s this book?” asked Lena, dusting off the cover of a rather old green book.

“That’s an ancient fairy tale in my native tongue,” said Kara. “I apologize. I often mix up English with Kryptonian, the language we used to speak in our village.”

“Can you read it to me?”

“Y-you want to hear me read?”

“Of course! I think you’d make a wonderful storyteller.”

“Even though you won’t be able to understand it?”

“It is not mere words that tell the story. I think I might be able to figure out what story it is.”

“Hmm...I’m not a fan of gambling, but do you want to place a little bet?”

“Sure.”

“If you can figure out what story this is, then you get...a little flight with me!”

“And if I can’t, then you can teach me Kryptonian!”

“T-teach you K-kryptonian?”

“Yes, Kara. I would love to learn your language.”

An intense warmth radiated throughout her chest as Kara looked into Lena’s eyes and saw nothing but sincerity. The fear that had once lined Lena’s eyes every time Kara looked in her direction was now gone, and was now filled with happiness and something else Kara couldn’t quite place her finger on. Kara stretched out her hand towards Lena, who grabbed it immediately and shook.

“Deal,” they said to each other.

Kara peeled open the book and blew on the pages to be rid of all the dust that was covering up the words. Cracking her neck, she began to skim her eyes over the familiar Kryptonian letters before she opened up her throat to read it out loud. To her shock, the words rolled off of her tongue as smoothly as butter. Perhaps a few hitches in long words here and there, but she was really able to read the book as she had once done ten years ago, with her sister, Alex. She closed her eyes and recited the rest of the book, her hands freely moving as she let the story come out from her heart. Kara listened to the little gasps and the hitches in Lena’s breath as Kara continued to tell the story with such passion. When she was done, she opened her eyes to see a starstruck Lena staring back at her, her mouth agape. 

“I hope my Kryptonian wasn’t so rough,” said Kara.

“It was...it was absolutely gorgeous,” whispered Lena. 

Gorgeous was not the way Kara had ever been described before, whether it be her words, her face, or anything related to her. Tears began to collect in her eyes as she closed the book and placed her hands on Lena’s.

“You really think so?”

“I don’t say things I don’t mean,” said Lena. “My father taught me that.”

“Your father sounds like a wonderful man.”

“He is.”

An awkward silence filled the room as Kara tried not to think about how she had been so merciless with Lionel. 

“So...any guesses?”

“Um...Tarzan?” asked Lena.

“It was actually The Little Mermaid.”

“That explains all the different animal sounds! The birds, the foreign humans…your language has a way to express things that English could never even think of doing.”

“Yes.”

“Now, will you be teaching me Kryptonian?”

“I like how this bet was structured so that you win in both cases.”

“I’m the daughter of an inventor.”

“Might have mistaken you for a lawyer.”

“Hey!”

“It’s not necessarily an insult! My mother was one...sort of. A judge, really.”

“You never talk about your family.”

“I mentioned my sister, like, once.”

“Still. I want to know more about you,” said Lena, placing her hands under her chin. “I feel like I could listen to you all day.”

“Psh, you’d get bored listening to me babble.”

“I did it today. Besides, you have this...natural way with words. I feel like in some other life, you’d be in charge of writing the news or something.”

“Maybe. I haven’t tried to write anything in a while, though. The last time I tried, the pencil broke.”

“Have you tried a typewriter, maybe?”

“I might have broken one of those, too,” confessed Kara, looking down in shame.

“Well, that’s quite alright. If you have something to say, perhaps now you can say it to me! I’d love to hear what you have to say.”

This girl was driving Kara nuts. Lena was just so kind. For Kara, all her relationships had been about serving and being polite because of necessity, not because of actual friendship. Now this...this town girl...this Lena actually seemed to want to get to know Kara. First of all, she had overlooked the gruesome face, and then she’d basically taught Kara how not to be a dick, and now she was actually trying to help Kara develop into someone who she could be proud of.

“I will, Lena. I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a kudos, it really encourages me to write more!
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr at super-luthor-gay!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I've been super busy lately so I haven't really been able to write! I hope you guys like this scene. I've been at pit almost every day, and since we're putting on Phantom of the Opera, it's all I've been thinking of.

“Alex, Winn, does the castle have a...laboratory of sorts? Perhaps any tools?” asked Lena once she left the library. 

“What for?” asked Winn, staring at his fire hands.

“I hope you’re not coming up with some machination,” joked Alex.

“Oh, gosh,” said Lena, rubbing her head a little. “I was actually thinking of making Kara something. You know, as a sort of gift?”

“You want to give Kara a gift?” shouted Winn and Alex both, clearly shocked.

“Shh!” shushed Lena. “Not so loudly. Since you two seem  _ wonderful _ at keeping secrets, I won’t tell you what I’m planning.”

“Well, there is the basement,” said Winn. “Kara hasn’t ever been down there, but I’ve been tending to the tools just in case she strikes up an interest.”

“Would you mind showing me around?”

“Sure!” Winn exclaimed, giddily clapping his little candles together. “Oh, boy, it’s been so long since I’ve gone down!”

After trekking through winding staircases and hallways filled with enchanting artwork, Lena, Winn, and Alex finally made it to the tool shop. Having spent so much time with Lionel on his inventions, she couldn’t help but be reminded of home. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she thought about her father. 

“He must be worried sick!” Lena gasped, more tears streaming down her face. “He still thinks I’m her prisoner! I wish I could see him...oh, father.”

“I knew we shouldn’t have brought her down here,” said Alex, pouting and crossing her arms.

“Lena...Kara’s changed a lot since you’ve come here,” began Winn. “I’m sure that if you wanted to see him...you could just ask.”

Lena sighed. “You’re right. I could just ask her. But for now, I do want to get planning. Thank you for bringing me down here.”

She walked around the room, picking up a wrench or a screwdriver here and there, examining the integrity of the tools. These were the type of tools that her father would’ve adored: sharp, new, and strong. They’d never been able to afford such luxuries, however. The little income her father received from the Inventor’s Association was barely enough for food for both of them. Lena had gone on dates with a few of the boys when she was younger because of the food, not because of the actual boy. Truthfully, she’d only ever been interested in women, but she didn’t really have much - or any - choice. It wasn’t like there was a line of women waiting to be with her the way there was a line of men pining after her. 

Once Winn and Alex left the basement, Lena picked up a few sheets of paper and a quill and began to sketch something. For hours she scrawled and she built, hammering together pieces of metal and tightening bolts and screws and welding plates with hot blasts of fire. For these hours, she forgot that she was really a prisoner. For these hours, she forgot about her father. For these hours, she had only been thinking of Kara and if she would like these gifts. 

She dusted her hands and examined her new gadgets just as Alex walked in on her.

“I, uh, do believe that the Beast has quite the evening planned out for you,” said Alex. “I’m to take you to your room to be dressed.”

“What sort of evening?”

“Well, you’ll see,” chuckled Alex. “I don’t doubt that you’ll be stunned.”

 

* * *

 

Kara sat in front of the mirror as the enchanted scissors and brushes began to toy with her hair, sculpting it in a way that would make her look stunning. She ran her fingers over her deformed face, feeling the dead skin and scars that had plagued her for so long. Lena didn’t even flinch when she looked at her anymore. She had lived her life with her mask on for so long that seeing herself without it startled her. 

She hated the way one of her eyes always looked so evil. She tried not to be, especially now that Lena was here. Controlling her temper had been so difficult before, and now, it seemed weird that she had been so angry before. In the past weeks, she hadn’t blasted anything with her heat vision for any reason but a practical one. The usual heat that had filled her eyes instead went to her chest when she spoke with Lena, sparking a passion inside of her that was foreign to her. 

“You look like a proper woman,” said Ms. Grant. “Well, almost.”

Her hair was tied up in a tight French braid that went down on one side of her neck. She was still dressed in a sloppy robe, fresh from the shower she had just taken. 

“Where’s my dress?” asked Kara. 

As if on cue, the enchanted tools began to slip her beautiful dress onto her. The torso was made of a brilliant dark blue, while the skirt was a golden laced blue and red spectacle. The dress glittered as light bounced off of the fine material. Kara twirled, the skirt puffing out like a flower. 

“Now that’s my girl,” said Ms. Grant. 

“Do I really look alright?” asked Kara.

“Why the hell would I lie?”

“I suppose there’d be no need,” sighed Kara. “I’m just scared.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine. Just be yourself. Remember: you’re a much better, stronger person inside than you look.”

“I-i don’t know if I can do it!” stammered Kara. “I’ve never had to deal with feelings before! I never had to worry about destroying someone until she came along! I’m scared that I’ll get angry and that I’ll crush her! I’m scared that she’ll be scared of me!”

“Damn it! You have cowered in this castle for a little over ten years now! Scared of hurting something, scared of breaking something! But you can’t just live all your life being afraid of something! You can’t live your life being afraid of yourself! This may be your shot at not only breaking the curse, but learning to love yourself!”

A moment of silence washed over the two as Kara desperately stared at Ms. Grant. 

“I guess I can do it.”

“Come, then. I’m sure your Lena’s waiting for you.”

Sure enough, as Kara was escorted down the steps, she spotted a stunning Lena in an emerald green dress that really fit her figure perfectly. Her dark hair contrasted wonderfully with her pale skin while the brilliant dress brought out her eyes, especially under the light of the crystalline chandelier that hung above them. Kara glided over to her, offering her arm as they walked towards the dining room.

“I have something for you, Kara,” said Lena, smiling wide.

“Really?” asked Kara, stunned once more.

“Really. Alex? Winn?” 

Alex and Winn dragged over two parcels. One was significantly smaller than the other, but Kara had no doubt that she would love them just the same. Lena handed her the smaller one first.

“This might be helpful for the...ah...dinner,” said Lena.

Inside the parcel were a spoon, a fork, and a knife, all very sturdy looking and bulky. Kara wrapped her hands around it, scared that it might shatter, but even as she squeezed it, the cutlery did not bend. 

“Oh my gosh,” said Kara, amazed. 

“Do you like it?”

“Do I like it? I love it!”

“Ah. Just wait for the next one, then.”

Kara received the larger package and ripped the wrapping paper a little more tenderly, hoping it wasn’t something too fragile. It revealed itself to be a robust typewriter, with keys that looked very properly fastened to the machine itself. As Kara tested out the machine, nothing seemed to break away. A few tears streamed down her face.

“What is it?” asked Lena. “Do you not like it?”

“Oh, Lena,” said Kara, her eyes welling up. “This is so thoughtful.”

“I’m glad you like it,” said Lena, releasing a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

“Thank you,” whispered Kara, setting the typewriter aside and picking up the new cutlery for her dinner. “I suppose we should eat, no?”

After their rather polite dinner - a real change of scenery for Kara - they made their way towards the ballroom together, Lena’s arm linked with Kara’s.

“May I have this dance?” asked Kara, stretching out her hand towards Lena as animated instruments began to sing a melody.

“Well, there isn’t anyone else I could dance with,” said Lena, Kara’s face falling a little. Lena smirked and took Kara’s hand. “But I would dance with you even if I had a choice.”

Kara’s face brightened up as she took Lena onto the floor. One hand on her waist and the other in Lena’s hand, she began to guide her around.

“Masquerade! Paper faces on parade,” sang the cutlery, dancing with each other. “Masquerade! Hide your face so the world will never find you.”

“I’m glad you’re not hiding your face,” said Lena, staring into Kara’s eyes. 

“Thank you,” said Kara, a soft blush rising into her cheeks. “It means a lot to me.”

“You know,” said Lena. “You look quite...charming tonight.”

Heat rose into Kara’s chest once again. This damn girl... “I could say the same for you.”

“We’re full of compliments tonight, aren’t we?”

“Yes, we are.”

They glided more on the floor, until Kara looked up and saw just how high up the ceiling was. An idea popped into her head.

“You know…” began Kara. “If you wished, I could take you flying right now.”

“I would love that, Kara,” gasped Lena.

“Hang on tight!”

Kara felt Lena’s arms wrap around her tightly and fastened her own arms around Lena securely before softly hovering upwards. She began to pick up speed and the two of them soared around the room, skimming by the magnificent chandelier a few times. Lena’s hair flapped into Kara’s face, her soft scent filling Kara’s head. If Kara hadn’t known that she was so in love with Lena by now, she definitely knew now. As the song began to end, Kara flew out the glass doors and landed on the balcony. The two of them gazed up at the stars as a comet flew by.

“That was wonderful,” said Lena. “I’ve never felt anything like that before!”

The two exchanged a warm smile and hugged once more. Kara felt the rush of questions headed out of her and tried to hold them down, but she couldn’t help but ask one.

“Lena?” asked Kara.

“Yeah?”

“Are you happy here with me?” she blurted out.

Lena sighed. “I am happy...but…”

“But?” Kara’s eyebrows furrowed as Lena’s face grew a little dark.

“I just wish I could see my father again.”

Kara put her hand over Lena’s, rubbing her thumb over the back of her hand before a light bulb turned on inside of her head.

“There is a way you could see him!” shouted Kara, rushing back inside the castle.

 

* * *

 

Kara led Lena up into the West Wing. They walked towards the little table with the glowing rose and the small mirror. Kara handed Lena the mirror. 

“Here. It will show you anything you wish to see,” informed Kara.

For a few seconds, Lena could see nothing but her own face, but soon, the mirror sparked green and showed Lionel instead. Lionel did not look happy. He was in the woods, searching all around while the wind blew around him. His hat knocked off his head, he stumbled and fell into the snow, coughing.

“Papa!” exclaimed Lena. “Oh no. He’s sick! He’s hurt, and he’s lost...oh, he must’ve come back to find me!”

Guilt washed over Kara. She was the one who had started all this. She had been the one to send him away and keep Lena prisoner. How could she expect her prisoner to fall in love with her, especially when she had banished Lena’s father? Kara stared at the wilting rose, watching as one of the last petals began to fall. She turned away from Lena as tears began to fall from her eyes. Perhaps the curse would never be lifted. Perhaps all these feelings, all these gestures had meant nothing. 

“You must go,” whispered Kara.

“What?”

“I release you as my prisoner,” she said, wiping her tears.

“T-thank you,” said Lena, holding Kara’s hands and looking into her eyes. “For...everything.”

Kara watched out of her window as Lena rode away on her horse and into the forest. Who knew if Kara would ever get to see the girl again? The one person she had grown to love...and she was gone...just like that. All the people she had ever loved had always left her. Why did she ever have hope that she could just be happy? How could she have fooled herself into thinking that maybe...just maybe...Lena could love her back? 

“Well, I think you did a good job,” said Alex, prancing into the room. 

“I let her go.”

“You what?!”

“I couldn’t keep her here. Not while she had to go to her father.”

“One job,” muttered Alex, clearly bitter. She stormed into the hall, where Winn, Siobhan, Ms. Grant, and Carter were waiting.

“We, uh, heard that,” said Winn, scratching his head.

“She finally learned to love, didn’t she?” said Ms. Grant, sucking in her cheeks. “Well.”

“So she’s gone?” cried Carter. “Aw, I’m going to miss her.”

Kara slunk away from the rose and into the shadows, where a papier mache music box in the shape of a barrel organ stood. On top of it lay a monkey dressed in Persian robes that would crash its cymbals. She turned the crank as it plucked out the melody, note by note.

“Masquerade…” she croaked. “Paper faces on parade...masquerade...hide your face so the world will never find you.”

As the music played, she opened her trunk and pulled out one of the many masks that she’d stored away. Tears falling into the trunk, she pulled the mask on her face once again, hiding the deformities that plagued her.

“Lena...I love you,” wept Kara, collapsing onto the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a kudos if you enjoyed it! It means a lot to me when you guys do leave comments and such!  
> Follow me on Tumblr @ super-luthor-gay!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter. Enjoy!

Lena rode into the night, her heart thumping against her chest as she clutched the magical mirror. Philemon charged ahead despite the deep snow that was slowing them down. 

“Show me Papa!” she commanded the mirror. The mirror glowed electric blue once more and revealed her father, now lying in a snowbank, unconscious. “Shit.” she muttered, kicking at Philemon’s legs.

She crossed through the forest over and over, weaving through trees until she could catch a single glimpse of her father, but the cold was travelling up her limbs rather quickly. 

“Oh, Philemon, what are we going to do?” she whispered, her breath frosty.

She couldn’t help but think of Kara. Sweet Kara, who had opened her heart and her mind to Lena. Kara, who had been so angry and hateful before, and was now a caring and kind woman. Such a drastic change in character didn’t happen very often. Perhaps in some of the books she’d loved, but never in real life had she witnessed such a development. 

“Not right now,” she thought to herself. “I can’t get distracted.”

After what seemed like hours, she finally stumbled across the body of her father, planted in the snowbank with a fresh snowy blanket draped over him. “Papa…” she murmured, lifting his body onto Philemon’s back. “Thank gosh I found you.”

She guided Philemon back through the forest, rushing to get back home.

 

* * *

 

Kara sat in the corner of her room, staring at the barrel organ. It had been a few hours since Lena had left, but her heart was broken no less. A part of her cursed Lena for taking the mirror with her, but she knew that if she didn’t, Kara would spend the rest of her days just staring at Lena. And who knew? Perhaps the mirror would come in handy for Lena. 

She clutched the barrel organ to her chest and sighed. “Say you’ll share with me one love, one lifetime,” she sobbed. “Oh, Lena.”

“Master...your dinner is ready,” said Alex, tiptoeing towards Kara. “Master?”

“Leave me alone,” ordered Kara.

“But you must surely be hungry! It’s potsticker night.”

“I hate potstickers.”

“B-b-but…”

“Leave me!” shouted Kara, whipping her head back and glaring at Alex. For the first time in weeks, heat rose to her eyes.

 

* * *

 

Lena sat by the foot of Lionel’s bed, watching over him as he rolled around and murmured in his sleep. Every so often, she would replace the wet towel on his forehead, trying to keep him at the most comfortable temperature. Cradling his hand, she leaned over and kissed his cheek.

“Papa...please wake up,” she whispered.

“Lena?” he asked, his eyelids fluttering. “Lena! It is you! B-but how?”

“I left the castle to find you!”

“But...you’re her prisoner, aren’t you? You took my place as an eternal prisoner!”

“She let me go.”

“S-she...what? That horrible beast? Did she hurt you in any way?”

“Oh, no, no, Papa. She’s changed. She’s kind and caring, and the best at conversation, other than you! She’s so thoughtful. She even gave me an entire library to show that she cared!”

“I’m so relieved, Lena,” sighed Lionel. 

“Mmrf!” squealed a small voice.

“What was that?” asked Lena.

“It’s coming from your bag!”

Lena’s satchel opened, the mirror and a small chipped teacup coming forth. “Carter!” exclaimed Lena. “What are you doing here?”

“Why did you leave us?” he asked, frowning a little. “Did you not like it?”

Lena smiled. “Oh, Carter. I loved it, but my father was sick and needed to be tended to.”

“But you could’ve brought him to the castle!”

“This is our home, Carter.”

“The castle is my home! And it can be your home!”

“Who is this young man?” asked Lionel, picking up Carter. “Oh! I remember you!”

Carter gasped a little. “You’re that man!”

“Yes I am.”

A knock on the door interrupted their friendly conversation.

“Are we expecting someone?” asked Lena. “We only just got back.”

She tiptoed towards the door and reluctantly opened it, finding herself face to face with Maxwell Lord.

“Hello, Lena. I’ve come for your father,” he said, smirking. He revealed a small bag of money from his pocket and tossed it from hand to hand while maintaining eye contact.

“M-my father?”

“Yes. Now, don’t worry, we’ll take good care of him,” he said, motioning towards his cart. A huge crowd with pitchforks and torches had gathered all around the house, all led by Mon-El and his nasty Nimrod. 

“No!” shouted Lena. “That’s absolutely ridiculous!”

“Your father’s mad, Lena,” said Mon-El. “He was blabbing like a baboon!”

“As loathsome as a lunatic!” jeered Nimrod.

“So senile!”

“I didn’t know your vocabulary included words like ‘senile,’” said Lena. “But my father isn’t crazy!”

“You should’ve seen him!” spat Nimrod. “The way he was talking about some beast…”

“You all heard him, didn’t you?” asked Mon-El, turning to the mob.

The mob shouted, drawing Lionel from the safety of his home. 

“Ah, there he is!” shrieked Nimrod, pointing towards Lionel. “Tell us about this beast again!”

“Oh...she was...so strong...so hideous…” began Lionel. “Her eyes! They were so red...they could probably shoot lasers!”

“I’m sure this hideous beast had some...mask?” teased Nimrod.

“It covered half of its face!” motioned Lionel. “It was terrifying!”

The mob continued to laugh at him and began to encroach upon him. They grabbed him by the limbs and guided him towards the cart, despite Lena’s cries and Lionel’s kicking.

“Mon-El! Surely you can do something!” shouted Lena.

“Maybe…” he smirked. “I could do something to clear this all up!”

“What is it? I’ll do  _ anything _ for my father!”

“One word, Lena. One word. Marry me.”

“That’s two words, Mon-El,” said Lena, rolling her eyes. “Absolutely not! You’re behind this, aren’t you?”

“I suppose it’s time for us to take your father, Lena. Say goodbye!”

“Wait!” Lena rushed into the house and grabbed the enchanted mirror. “I can prove that the Beast is real! Show me the Beast!”

The mirror glowed green and showed Kara’s masked face, her eyes filled with sorrow and tears. The light that Lena had grown to adore was no longer there, as though the fire of life inside of Kara had been extinguished. She stared blankly into the distance, mouthing some sort of song to herself. Pang and guilt filled Lena’s heart as the mob gasped. Mon-El yanked the mirror from her hands to get a better look.

“Track down this beast!” he commanded. “She must be found!”

“We cannot let her roam free!”

“She would surely kill everyone! Just look at those evil eyes! Hunt her down!”

“Track down this murderer!”

Mon-El grabbed a torch and hooked the mirror onto his belt. “Everyone! Follow me! Take a look at this terrible creature of darkness! We won’t come back until she’s dead!”

“Kill the beast!”

“No!” shouted Lena, trying to steal the mirror from Mon-El.

“What do you mean,  _ no _ ?” he sneered. “You’re either with us or against us! Or perhaps...you’re on this beast’s side!”

“Of course I am!” she protested. “She’s done nothing wrong! Show some compassion, Mon-El!”

“You showed no compassion for me!” he roared, grabbing her and tossing her into the cellar. Not a second after, Lionel was tossed in with her. “Now you can’t be free! That beast is mine!”

The cellar door locked, but the cracks in the door let them peek through. Lena watched as the angry villagers assembled to chop down trees and create weapons of beastly destruction. They all chanted as Mon-El led them into the forest. 

“No...no!” cried Lena. “What have I done? This is all my fault! I need to warn Kara!”

She rapped against the door, crying for help. Realizing that no one was going to help them, she took a wrench and tried to swing it against the window before realizing that it would be too small to let them out. But out of the window she noticed a tiny teacup bouncing towards the abandoned sewing machine in the yard. Carter began to fiddle with the machine, which suddenly lurched forward and headed straight for the cellar door!

“Get away from the door, Lena!” shouted Lionel. “You’ll get hurt!”

The part of the machine with the needle began to spin around inside the lock before it finally popped open and let the machine into the cellar. Carter bounced towards them as the machine broke apart, decimated by the brutal stairs and the repetitive, intense work.

“Carter!” exclaimed Lena. “You saved us!”

“I don’t like that Mon-El boy,” he commented. “He’s mean.”

“I agree. Let’s go save Kara!”

“Well, my machine didn’t win the fair, but it sure did save us,” said Lionel. “I actually like that story better.”

The three of them headed towards Philemon, who neighed in greeting. Lionel and Lena hopped onto his back, Carter sitting on Lena’s shoulder.

“Let’s go, Philemon,” commanded Lena.

 

* * *

 

“Winn…” muttered Alex. “Winn!”

“W-what?” he said, suddenly waking up. “Something happening?”

“I don’t know!” she shouted. “Take a look for yourself!”

Winn peeped outside the front doors, noticing a huge mob heading over the bridge and towards them. “Shit.”

“Shit is right. We have to warn Kara.”

“What are you waiting for!” shouted Winn. “Go! I’ll assemble some defenses!”

Winn began to run around the castle. “The villagers are coming! All gather in the lobby! All come around!” He stacked an inanimate dresser in front of the door and pushed against it as the villagers pounded against it. “Help me!”

All of the enchanted furniture began to push with him, trying to keep the door shut against the villagers’ battering ram. 

“You know…” he began. “It’s interesting how they suddenly know where Kara lives. Like, if you knew where she lived in the first place, wouldn’t you have come here before at one point?”

“Now is not the time for logic, Winn!” reprimanded Maggie. “Dig in your heels!”

“It’s much harder when you’re not a damn shovel!”

“Alex would be proud of that one,” she muttered. 

“This door isn’t going to hold!” he shouted. “Wait! I have an idea!”

With a few more hits, the door burst open, sending the furniture flying everywhere. But when the villagers entered the castle, they could see nothing but the a quiet foyer, with rather well organized shelves surrounding the stairs. 

“Feel free to loot anything!” announced Mon-El, running up the stairs. “But the Beast is mine!”

Nimrod grabbed the candlestick closest to him and waved it around to take a closer look at the furniture. “Strange…” he muttered. “It seems they all have eyes…”

“Now!” cried Winn. 

Suddenly, everything came to life. Books fell down as the shelves trudged towards the villagers, carts skid all over the floor, and brooms began to chase the villagers about. “See how you like that! Hah!” yelled Winn. “I’m a badass!”

 

* * *

 

“Ka-Master!” panted Alex. “The villagers are inside the castle now! We must do something before they kill you!”

“Let them,” grumbled Kara. “It doesn’t matter.”

“But...you’ll die! You have powers, but they don’t make you invincible!”

“It doesn’t matter. My life without Lena is like being dead, anyways.”

“Well, you ought to fight, damn it!” shouted Alex.

“Leave me be,” whispered Kara. “Please, just leave me be.”

 

* * *

 

Winn found himself in a rather unfortunate situation. Backed up against a corner, Nimrod was beginning to close in on him with a bright torch, threatening to melt him away. He, ah, found his hands tied, ironically. 

“Oh, hell no!” shrieked Alex, sliding down the stair rail with a needle. “Don’t you hurt little Winnie!”

Nimrod yelped as the needle stabbed his buttocks, dropping the torch and fleeing as quickly as he could. It seemed the other villagers were also retreating, scared off by the flying knives and the mischievous dressers. The plates began to cheer as they flung themselves towards the villagers’ heads. Ms. Grant led her little army of teacups, pouring hot tea onto those who dared come near her precious children. With ragged clothes, broken pitchforks, and extremely low self-esteem, the villagers ran out of the castle, trying not to get hit by the door on the way out. Winn grabbed Alex and planted a huge kiss on her cheek, much to her disgust.

“That’s disgusting,” she grimaced, wiping it off and slapping him away. “Maggie!”

Unfortunately for everyone, not all the villagers had gone; Mon-El was sneaking towards the West Wing in search of the Beast. He pulled an arrow from his quiver and readied his bow, drawing back the string tightly. He didn’t want to kill the Beast because it served a threat; no, he was angry. He was angry that Lena had defended the Beast. He was angry that Lena didn’t want to be with him. He was angry that for the first time, things in his life didn’t go as he had wanted. 

Mon-El entered the room, ready for battle. Carefully taking one step at a time, he walked deeper into the room. By the balcony he could see the faint outline of a masked figure, huddled over a monkey and a glowing rose in a bell jar. The figure turned to look at him, empty, cold eyes shining in what little room the rose provided, but turned back to the rose as though he didn’t even exist. Taking a step closer, Mon-El released the arrow and shot it directly into the Beast’s shoulder.

Kara screamed in pain. Mon-El closed in on her and kicked her roughly, sending her through the glass window. She tumbled onto the roof before Mon-El kicked her again, sending her flying to the gutter. Kara tried to get up, but she couldn’t muster enough hope or strength to do so.

“Get up, damn it!” shouted Mon-El. “You selfish sack of shit. You parade around like some magnificent creature, wanting attention, but all you are is selfish!”

“Leave me alone,” she whispered. “I have done nothing to you.”

“You have done  _ everything _ ! Why don’t you get up and  _ fight  _ me?”

“Why should I waste my time on you?”

“Did you think that she could actually love you?” he yelled, grabbing his club from his belt. “Why would she love you, when she had someone like me? You’re a terrifying, hideous creature!”

“Maybe because I’m not an arrogant dick,” she murmured.

Mon-El raised the club high above his head, ready to bring it down and break Kara’s neck. “Too kind, and too caring to fight, I suppose!” he mocked.

“No!” Lena’s voice rang through the heavy rain and thunder. 

“Lena?” Kara whimpered.

Hope filled her heart as the fire inside of her was lit again. Strength pulsed through her veins once more. Just as Mon-El swung, she grabbed the club and broke it in half. Kara shoved Mon-El to the edge, ready to push him over. She grabbed his throat, causing him to gag, and flew over the abyss, ready to drop him when she spotted Lena, quickly heading into the castle. Kara found the heat in her eyes dissipate, her face relaxing as she returned to the ledge of the roof. She couldn’t bring herself to kill the pathetic goon, no matter how irritating he was. He simply wasn’t worth it.

“Kara!” Lena called out from the nearest balcony. “I’m here!”

“You came back!” cried Kara. “You came back!”

Kara began to hover slowly, for much of her strength had left her, her internal solar battery running low. She reached for Lena’s outstretched hands, grabbing them close and gazing into Lena’s eyes once again. “You came back.”

“I couldn’t just leave you be.”

Suddenly, Kara let out a huge shriek as Mon-El stabbed her under the ribs. Blood began to gush, dripping down the roof as though it were raining red. Mon-El climbed onto the balcony, grabbing Lena just as Kara flew onto the ledge. He arrogantly walked over to the ledge, holding the knife to Kara’s throat. 

“Start a new life with me! Buy her freedom with your love!” Mon-El shouted. “Refuse me and I’ll send your lover to her death!”

“No...no!” shouted Lena as Kara’s eyes began to falter.

“Make your choice!” demanded Mon-El.

“Why make her lie to you to save me?!” yelped Kara.

Suddenly, bright green lightning struck down, hitting Mon-El. The energy pulsed through him, making him scream and drop his knife. Taking a step backwards, his foot slipped on a broken ledge and he fell into the abyss below. Kara fell to the floor, her body weak with fatigue and blood beginning to pool around her.

“No!” cried Lena, pulling off Kara’s mask. “No, no, no. This is all my fault. I should’ve warned you...I should’ve come sooner! I shouldn’t have showed him your face in the mirror!”

“You came back,” croaked Kara, stretching her arm to touch Lena’s face. 

Lena bent down to hug Kara. “How could I not?”

Kara stroked Lena’s cheek with her thumb, the light in her blue eyes beginning to fade. Winn, Alex, and Ms. Grant all stared at the enchanted rose, which was wilting even more quickly than before. 

“You can’t die, damn it!” sobbed Lena. “You just can’t!”

“I’m just glad I got to see you one last time,” whispered Kara.

“You can’t think like that! You’re going to be okay,” Lena said, desperately holding onto hope as Kara began to fall back. “We’re together now.” Lena grabbed Kara’s hand.

“Paper faces on parade...masquerade...hide your face so the world can never find you,” croaked Kara, humming softly. “Lena...I love you.”

Kara’s eyes closed and a few tears dripped down her cheeks. Her hands fell to the floor, limp and cold. Winn, Alex, and Ms. Grant watched as the life drained out of Kara and their hopes began to fall as their bodies began to disintegrate. 

Lena fell onto Kara, crying as their tears mixed on the ground. “All I want is freedom...a world with no more night...and you...always beside me...to hold me and to hide me...anywhere you go, let me go too...Kara...that’s all I ask of you,” she whispered. “Kara...I love you.”

The pitter patter of the drops hitting the Earth ceased as a beautiful rainbow revealed itself behind the clouds. Rays of colored light began to strike Kara, one by one, lifting her limp body into the sky as a huge rainbow shroud covered Kara. It began to restore her disfigured face, the fullness of the color returning to her skin. The wound in her side patched itself up. And moreover, the redness and anger that had filled Kara’s eyes in the past faded away. The rainbow returned Kara to the ground, revealing the beautiful woman that Lena had grown to love and adore.

“Kara...Kara?” whimpered Lena. “Wake up!”

Kara’s eyes opened, both eyelids working. She touched her face and then touched Lena’s face before hugging her close. “Lena, it’s me!”

“I know, Kara!” exclaimed Lena, tears of joy falling from her eyes. “Oh, I know!”

“Hey, I can’t fly anymore,” she chuckled. “Oh, look at that. I’m weak again.”

“You were always weak,” teased Lena. 

“Could a weak person die and come back to life?”

“Ah, you got me there.”

“Kara!” shouted Winn and Alex, back in their human form. Ms. Grant watched them from the corner, her arms folded. 

“Winn? Alex? How are you alive?” asked Kara.

“Yeah...so, we were kind of the candlestick and the clock…” said Winn, scratching his head and twisting his mouth a little awkwardly.

Alex rushed to Kara and hugged her tightly. “Oh, the Danvers sisters are back!”

“Kiera, the rose is dead, by the way,” said Ms. Grant. “I love that I don’t have to call you Master. How ridiculous.”

“We all know that you’re the boss of us, Ms. Grant.”

Kara turned to face Lena again, who was absolutely struck by the magic that had just happened. She stepped in close to Lena, looking down at the slightly shorter woman. Lena threw her arms around Kara and pressed her lips to Kara’s tightly. Kara, originally shocked by the warm embrace, returned the gesture when she recovered.

“Would you like to join me for a dance?” offered Kara, leading her into the castle. 

“Well, now that I have choices…” began Lena. “I’ll still choose you.”

“Do you think it means something that a literal rainbow saved me?”

“Perhaps. That enchantress must’ve known all along.”

“A rainbow may have saved me, but you, Lena, are my hero.”

All of the staff had returned to their human form, revealing themselves to be people of Kara’s old village. They had been quick to clean up the mess the battle had left and had already prepared the ballroom for another dance. Kara took Lena’s hand and the two of them glided around the floor, the brilliant chandelier shining upon them once more.

“Masquerade! Paper faces on parade!” sang the staff, in a much more upbeat tone than before. “Masquerade! Hide your face so the world can never find you!”

“I won’t have to hide my face anymore,” said Kara, touching her face and smiling fully.

“It wouldn’t have made a difference to me,” admitted Lena, kissing Kara on the nose. “Oops, I think I broke a mask.” Lena lifted her foot, showing off yet another mask that Kara would never wear again.

The two of them danced and danced, unaware of anything but each other, for time stopped for them both when they were together.

“It’s over now,” sang Winn. “The music of the night!”

The music of the night might have ended, but the joy with which Kara and Lena would spend the rest of their days would never fade away. Sunlight had once been Kara’s source of life, but now that she had Lena, it was love that powered them both. 

_ The End. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) I hope you all liked the ending! (We all knew what would happen, but I did change it a bit from the ending of the actual story) Please leave a kudos if you really did enjoy it, or would like to see more in the future! I'll be sure to edit, but I wanted to hurry up and give you guys the ending to the tale!
> 
> Follow @ super-luthor-gay on Tumblr for more gay content!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a kudos if you liked it or want to see more!
> 
> Find me on tumblr at super-luthor-gay


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